Skype blocked in latest Internet curb ahead of Iran election

Web-based telephone services such as Skype have been blocked in Iran as the regime puts the Internet 'into a coma' ahead of the June election.

Paranoid mullahs are desperate to block all forms of cyber-communication which they fear millions of people will use to organize protests during the ballot.

Skype, Gtalk and Oovoo have all been closed down, Internet bandwidth speeds have been slashed across the country, social networking sites are being censored and mobile phone messaging has also been severely restricted.

Internet cafés are also being shut down - including three recently in the city of Bojnourd where police told owners they had not respected the draconian new laws governing the service.

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and thousands of other western sites have also all been censored in Iran since the massive street demonstrations of 2009.

Regional official Ali Yali told the state-run Fars news agency: "In the third round of the plan to survey and inspect Internet Service Providing Centers (ISPs), several units were suspended for neglecting the instructions given."

Internet cafés are not allowed to provide services such as installing filter by-passing software, proxies and VPNs, he said.

Businesses, banks and even state organisations have also been hit by the widespread disruption of the Internet.

The Ghanoon daily newspaper said this month: "The Internet is in a coma."